Hawks, Hunter agree to terms ahead of extension deadline

The Atlanta Hawks and forward De’Andre Hunter have agreed to a contract extension ahead of Monday’s deadline. ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reports the Hawks and Hunter agreed to a four-year, $95 million pact that will keep the forward out of restricted free agency.

The Hawks confirmed the move Monday evening via press release, though per team policy the terms were not disclosed. Hunter is poised to be a huge factor again this season as Atlanta’s primary wing, and now he has the contract security he was looking for. The Hawks traded a rather substantial package on draft night in exchange for Hunter in 2019, and now they have locked in the forward for the foreseeable future.

Bobby Marks of ESPN reports that Hunter’s extension starts at $20.09M and increases each season.

In 53 games last season, Hunter averaged 13.4 points, 3.3 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 29.8 minutes (44.2 FG%, 37.9 3PT%, 76.5 FT%). The Hawks will look for improvement across the board now as the forward moves into what should be his prime years. Hunter is healthy entering his fourth season after a full offseason, which is something he wasn’t able to say heading into last season.

Hunter is now locked up alongside Trae Young and John Collins, as the Hawks continue to secure their core pieces beyond their rookie deals. Of course, with Kevin Huerter, an extension still resulted in him playing for another team in the long run. Atlanta conceivably has far less motive to move on from Hunter, however, as he is the best small forward on the roster by a wide margin.

Stay tuned as the Hawks open up their new season Wednesday evening at home vs. the Houston Rockets.